COLUMBUS, OH – The 43rd NHL outdoor game arrived with much anticipation for a team who has never played in one and was hosting their first in-the-elements game at historic Ohio Stadium. A venue known for its traditions and a fanbase which has cheered their team to nine national college football championships brought a new type of energy to The Horseshoe and it paid big dividends for the home crowd.
Before 94,751 fans, the second largest crowd to witness an NHL contest, the Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the Detroit Red Wings by a score of 5-3 on the strength of a game-winning goal by Justin Danforth and 44 saves on 46 shots by Elvis Merzlikins.
The lead-up with the Fan Festival, Pep Rally, Walk-Up and Johnny Gaudreau Remembrance, all detailed in another article, was the perfect set-up to a remarkable battle on the outdoor ice between two clubs fighting to stay in playoff position.
The pre-game included the Ohio State Athletic Band taking to the ice in their classic formation spelling out OHIO in grand fashion with precision movement on the non-traditional surface they are used to, fly over by local military jets and a majestic presentation of the colors hoisted up along one of the tallest flagpoles I have ever seen.
Game time temperature was 29 degrees and felt like 16 degrees with the wind chill. The setting was overcast and just about perfect for an outdoor game.
The puck was dropped and you could tell the play was tentative, slow, seemingly unfamiliar conditions since the clubs practices during a much warmer day yesterday.
With very little for the crowd to get excited about early-on, just more than hallway through the period, Columbus nearly struck first.
Columbus Dmitri Voronkov streaked down the right side and while pushed outside and behind the net, found a way to center a backhand to a waiting Kirill Marchenko . His drive was in a little too close and Detroit netminder Cam Talbot smothered the puck in his chest for a stoppage.
While scoring chances were not as plentiful, physical play and thunderous hits were in abundance. Columbus taking the upper hand in that category.
Blue Jackets right winger Matheau Olivier pounded Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider in the corner, nearly putting him through the glass.
The Red Wings had the upper hand in shots, only displaying their ability to shoot on goal and not score. Columbus goaltender Elvis Merzlikins was up to the challenge.
While play early in the middle frame started out just as most of the first period went, Columbus drew first blood on their 9th shot.
Columbus’ James Van Riesmdyk sent a pass to Boone Jenner who looked for a play to make. The Columbus captain found it when he fed defenseman Denton Mateychuk as he skated to just inside the left circle. He then sailed a wrister over the glove-side shoulder of Talbot and into the back of the net just 5:31 into period. It was his 3rd goal of the season and the 37th time the Blue Jackets had scored first in a game this year, tops in the NHL.
What had been a penalty-free game up to this point was ruined when Columbus’ Dante Fabbro was whistled for interference with just eight minutes left in the period. It would give Detroit a much-needed opportunity to knot up the game.
It took them just 35 seconds to succeed in that effort.
The Red Wings first power play unit established a perimeter inside the Columbus zone.
Power play captain Moritz Seider safely protected the puck on his point before dishing it off the veteran Patrick Kane. The clever playmaker found Alex Debrincat with a pass he sent toward the opposite side of the goal. The pass landed at the sniper’s feet, just outside the crease. Somehow Debrincat managed to corral the puck with a defenseman covering him and one-timed it behind Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins to tie the score.
Observers were gobsmacked Debrincat could deposit that pass into the net. It was Debrincat’s team-leading 28th goal and brought the Red Wings back to life.
Columbus nearly had an answer with just more than three minutes to play in the period. That’s when Adam Fantilli rang a drive off the post that beat Talbot, but ricocheted into the opposite corner.
That pressure led to Detroit taking a penalty when Seider tripped Marchenko behind the net. The Blue Jackets would get their second power play of the night and it would not take long for them to cash in.
Zack Werenski safely moved the puck along the blue line at the right point, slid a pass down low to the side of the Detroit net where Kent Johnson was. The crafty youngster found Dmitri Voronkov in front of the net and he sent a snap shot past Talbot to regain the lead with his 20th of the season.
Columbus was not done.
Just thirty-three seconds later, Columbus applied pressure on the Detroit net. Blue Jackets winger Justin Danforth had the puck behind the goal and sent a clever backhand pass to Mathieu Olivier. The right winger curled from behind the net to the right post and jammed a backhand shot behind Talbot to give the Blue Jackets the 3-1 lead.
It was good way to end the period, particularly since Detroit held the advantage in shots 25-13 at that point. The punishing, physical play of Columbus was not only shown in the hits on the ice, a 19-15 advantage, but in there being very little space for the Red Wings to skate without being marked.
Desperate to get back into the game during the final regulation period, the Red Wings sought to get some jump in their attack with some zest on the wings. Merzlikins turned aside several drives coming from along the boards, but turned them all aside.
Just more than two minutes into the period, Red Wing left winger Elmer Sodebloom took a shoulder to the upper chest from Justin Danforth as he took the puck from him in the process. Soderbloom, though, was on the wrong end of a shoulder and lay on the ice until play was stopped a few seconds later. He has to be helped off the ice.
Video review showed there was no illegal check to the head or penalty and play resumed with the Red Wings resuming their attack on the Columbus net.
The relentless effort paid off.
A little more than three minutes into the period, Detroit’s Albert Johansson had the puck at the right point, found a waiting Simon Edvinson with a pass and kept the puck moving by finding Patrick Kane above the left circle. The future Hall of Famer fired a wrister that beat Merzlikins on his glove side to narrow the gap to 3-2.
Detroit was back in it.
Just seconds later and right off the ensuing center ice drop, Detroit put their passing magic in play, but Merzlikins was sensational with several stops which came through several clever east-west passing plays from the visitors.
Just seconds later, Marchenko was whistled for high-sticking in the offensive zone giving the Red Wings another chance to tie with the man advantage, but they could not convert.
The Red Wings were outshooting Columbus in the third period 18-5 with just five minutes remaining, pushing desperately for the equalizer and they got it with just 3:24 remaining in regulation.
With the face-off to the left of Merzlikins, Detroit won the draw and Kane ended up with the puck. He assed to Edvinson who eventually found Debrincat. With his back to the net, Debrincat accepted a pass before he flung around, shot and scored, beating Merzlikins high glove side to knot the score.
The largely Columbus crowd groaned at the tying Detroit goal, but there were more cannon blasts to be heard.
A little more than a minute after that tying goal, Danforth chased a puck batted out of his end zone and engaged in a race with Edvinson. The Detroit defenseman slightly interfered with the Columbus winger, who himself had his stick up high on Edvinson.
Danforth beat the falling defenseman and was in all alone on Talbot. He fired a drive which the Detroit goalie saved, but a rebound squirted out. Danforth collected the puck, fired it past the sprawling goalie and into the net to regain the Columbus lead.
Now with desperation ever present in the late stages of this game, the Red Wings pulled Talbot to force a tie, but had trouble getting a shot on net.
With an eye on the vacant net, Columbus countered with two shots on the open goal, both careening off the left post and out of harms way, giving Detroit a chance, but it would not go.
Columbus Adam Fantilli secured the home victory with an empty net goal, his 19th of the season, with assists going to Zack Werenski and Boone Jenner and a fifth cannon blast to put the finishing touches on the game. A gun powder musk was encountered after that last blast.
Columbus succeeded in the victory, a 5-3 decision in which they were outshot 46-21.
Merzlikins was named the first stay for stopping 44 of 46 Detroit show, Debrincat the second star with two goals in the losing cause and Justin Danforth with the third star with the game-winning goal and an assist.
Columbus jumps ahead of Detroit with 68 points and the first wild card position, just two points behind New Jersey in the Metropolitan division.
Dennis Morrell has developed a deeply rooted passion for our game over many decades as a goaltender, writer, photographer, goalie coach, and active Level 3 USA Hockey-certified, on-ice official with over 2,500 games with the whistle. His passion for the game began in the early 70s upon his first glance at players battling for the puck at Clayton’s Shaw Park.
And yes, the ice is perfect.
He has been fortunate to journalistically cover 2 NHL Entry Drafts, 5 NHL All-Star Games, 10 NHL Outdoor Games in two countries and 25 games played in the context of 10 Stanley Cup Final series, witnessing the oldest trophy in sports lifted by the champion 4 times, including when his beloved hometown team, the St. Louis Blues, won their first chalice in 2019.
He has witnessed over 1,000 major and minor professional games in over 250 different arenas. He can be reached at [email protected] and you can follow him on Twitter at DMMORRELL.
